What is the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)?

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a free program designed to empower residents. It educates volunteers in disaster preparedness and trains them in essential response skills like fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. In short, CERT members gain valuable skills to keep themselves and their families safe, and to assist their neighbors during emergencies.

The program was first developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985 and is now sponsored nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Here in Salem, the local CERT program is overseen by the City of Salem Fire Department, directed by the City’s Emergency Manager.

Volunteers are trained to assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following a disaster when professional responders are not immediately available to help. Locally, I, Mark Wardell, serve as the Team Leader for West Salem CERT, alongside Assistant Team Leaders Will Conley and Sophie Sparling.

The Core Mission: Neighbors Helping Neighbors

The central mission of CERT is summarized by the phrase "Neighbors helping neighbors." CERT volunteers are trained to provide immediate assistance to their families, neighbors, and co-workers during an emergency – until professional help arrives. By handling basic tasks, CERT acts as a "force-multiplier" for professionals, enabling them to focus on the most complex and critical tasks.

Comprehensive Training and Key Skills

CERT training is a comprehensive program covering a range of essential disaster response skills. Volunteers begin with Disaster Preparedness, learning about local hazards and effective preparation. Training then progresses to practical skills like basic Fire Safety (identifying hazards and using extinguishers) and Disaster Medical Operations, which focuses on triage (sorting victims by injury severity), basic first aid, and establishing a treatment area. Members also learn Light Search and Rescue, applying safe techniques for searching structures, removing debris, and gently extricating victims. Finally, attention is paid to Team Organization (using the Incident Command System) and understanding the emotional and psychological effects of a disaster on both victims and rescuers.

Roles Beyond the Disaster

While a CERT member's primary role is immediate disaster assistance, their activities extend much further. Throughout the year, volunteers frequently promote preparedness by educating the public through community presentations and events. CERT members also assist in recovery efforts once the crisis passes, helping with tasks like distributing supplies, staffing emergency operations centers, and assisting at evacuation centers. By engaging in these ways, CERT builds resilience and strengthens the entire community.

How to Get Involved

Our next general meeting will be November 8th from 9-11 a.m. at the Roth’s Event Center (located behind Roth's Fresh Market on Wallace Rd in West Salem). All are welcome; you do not need to be a CERT member to attend.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this article, preparedness in general, or would like to inquire about joining CERT or scheduling a presentation for your organization, please contact me, Mark Wardell, at PNMarkW2@gmail.com.